Reading Buses unveiled their ‘Charity of the Year 2017’ at a special event at their Great Knollys Street depot.

Their partnership for the next 12 months will be with Red Balloon Learner Centre, a charity that helps bullied children.

The company said as always the decision to choose the charity was a ‘hard-fought affair’ with over 50 charities putting themselves forward. The criteria, as previous, was for a charity to be local or, if they were a national charity, to have a strong local base. 

Once all the nominations were received, the company reduced the list to three worthy charities which were put to a vote – with Red Balloon receiving just under half of the total votes. 

“It was an overwhelming win for Red Balloon,” said Martijn Gilbert, Reading Buses Chief Executive Officer. “Nearly two-thirds of our employees voted which shows the level of engagement that they have with our charity of the year scheme. 

“All the charities that made it to the final vote would have been great organisations with which to partner, but we were delighted to see Red Balloon come out on top.”

For the launch event, Reading Buses picked up the representatives from Red Balloon, including some of their students, in the newly liveried charity bus. They were then whisked to the depot where Martijn gave a speech outlining how much it means to Reading Buses to support a charity each year. 

“We also hope to raise awareness, as well as funds, for Red Balloon to ensure that children who need help, and their parents and guardians, know that support is out there. This is such a worthwhile charity and we are really looking forward to a great partnership for the rest of the year.”

Red Balloon Centre supports young people who self-exclude from school and are missing education because of bullying or other trauma.

They provide an academic and therapeutic programme to ensure students get back on track and reconnect with society.

Red Balloon Chief Executive Officer CEO Quintus Travis said: “Red Balloon Reading is thrilled to be chosen as Reading Buses Charity of the Year. We look forward to working with Reading Buses to raise the profile of the Centre within the local community and help to support more young people and raise awareness of the issues facing them today.”